OXFORD, Ala. — No. 11 West Florida (42-12) had a mixed day at the Gulf South Conference Tournament held at Choccolocco Park on Friday. The Argonauts first secured a dominant 10-0 run rule victory over Auburn University at Montgomery (42-11) before dropping their semifinal rematch against Trevecca Nazarene (22-18), where they suffered a 9-1 defeat to be eliminated from the tournament.
Although UWF's loss to Trevecca knocks them out of contention for a conference championship, their win over AUM still has postseason implications. AUM sits at second in the NCAA South Region as of Wednesday, with the Argos right behind them. UWF's convincing victory over the Warhawks may have given them the opportunity to move ahead of them in the region, prompting an opportunity to host one of the South Regionals.
Individual Highlights:
Haley Guffey posted a shutout in the first game against the Warhawks, recording a shutout and pitching a complete game. She only allowed two hits over five innings while striking out two batters and walking one. She achieved her 28th win of the season, pushing her into the top 10 in program history in single-season wins (four-way tie for 8
th). She is only a couple wins from cracking the top-10 in career wins at UWF as well.
Senior
Emma Brice hit .500 in her final GSC Tournament appearances of her career, going 2-for-4 with 2 runs and an RBI.
Nevaeh Hayes also delivered the same batting stat line in addition to two RBI.
Jessie Baughan went 2-for-5, with her two hits producing a triple and a home run. The power hitter accounted for two runs and two more RBI.
Angelia Discenza crushed her second home run of the year in the win over AUM and tallied two runs and two RBI in the combined effort.
Quarterfinals: 1-Seed UWF 10, 3-Seed AUM 0
In the opening game against Auburn Montgomery, West Florida showcased their offensive prowess, particularly in the fourth inning, where they scored seven runs, aided by two home runs and a triple.
Emma Brice led off the second inning with a single to left center, followed by
Jessie Baughan's two-run home run, bringing Brice home and giving the Argonauts a 2-0 lead. In the third inning,
Angelia Discenza hit a solo home run to center field, increasing the score to 3-0.
The fourth inning was pivotal for the Argonauts.
Bella Holliday began the rally with a bunt single, leading to a series of plays that allowed multiple runners to advance and score. Discenza added an RBI single, and
Hannah Harper reached on an error, contributing to three additional runs.
Brice capped off the scoring with another RBI single, and
Nevaeh Hayes added a two-RBI single, resulting in a commanding 10-0 lead. The game concluded with no further scoring in the fifth inning, solidifying the Argonauts' win.
Semifinals: 1-Seed UWF 1, 8-Seed TNU 9
Trevecca took control early, scoring five runs in the second inning. Annalise Mecklenburg kicked off the rally with a single, followed by key hits from Sarah Nicholson and Annabelle Ellis.
Brianna Asmondy drove in two runs with a single, and Kyleigh Burgett and Bailey Goad added further runs, pushing the score to 5-0.
West Florida responded in the fifth with
Jessie Baughan hitting a triple to right field, later scoring on a single from
Meg Fountain, making it 5-1.
However, Trevecca extended their lead to 8-1 in the sixth with three more runs and added another in the seventh on a fielder's choice, leaving West Florida unable to respond in the final inning.
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The Argos are currently third in the NCAA South Region Rankings. They await the decision of the seeding committee to see where they will land as they prepare for regional play. For news updates, meet results, rosters, bios, schedules, and more, visit GoArgos.com or follow @UWFSoftball on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
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